J
Joshua_M
Guest
Greetings to everyone reading this. I hope this is the correct category.
I recently attended a retreat with my youth group. This retreat was focused around the Holy Spirit manifesting. To provide clarity in regards to time, we arrived at the school hosting the retreat at around 5 PM Friday and got home at 1 PM Sunday.
With that out of the way, onto the story.
I learned a lot about the faith through the numerous speakers, videos, etc. The people coordinating the retreat also provided a lot of opportunities to bond with the people around us.
During adoration Friday night, I was able to forgive everyone I had a grudge against. Someone I never thought I’d be able to rekindle with, became a good friend.
But that was only the begining, but for me, I almost thought that original impression on Friday the end.
Let me explain. Throughout Saturday, I was learning a lot about the faith, but I never felt that emotionally moved. This was kind of a disappointment, considering people broke down crying during adoration, people got healed of physical ailments through prayer. I just felt like I wasn’t going to receive these gifts that others were getting.
We had a session where all 500 attendees would be prayed over by two prayer helpers. People were receiving visions and other miraculous experiences. I of course, felt nothing. What I got, was a friend telling me that he felt like something big was coming. I was like, “ha ha, that’d be great.”
After that prayer session, my youth group performed a skit which led directly into adoration.
**This is where the real juice of the story is. ** If you’re skimming, I’d start paying attention here.
So I join in on adoration. There is a group escorting the Monstrance around everyone. There is a speaker leading everyone in how to pray.
An hour in, and people are really experiencing the Holy Spirit. People are laughing, crying, singing, shaking.
I’m just sitting there like
nothing is happening.
Still in prayer, I felt like I needed to pray that the friend right next to me, would pray over me.
About five minutes later, he starts praying over me. Then something in the music (there was a band) made me start crying out to Jesus.
Then boom, I start hyperventilating; each breath made me feel lighter. Then I pass out. When I woke up, I felt a tingling sensation in every nerve in my body. It’s a feeling of pins and needles, but its intense and everywhere. This wasn’t painful, mind you.
And I was just crying. Crying like I’ve never cried. I had friends coming up to me and just holding me in their arms. I had strangers praying over me and giving me tissue.
At one point I was asked to move forward so I could be with the people still in adoration. ( a lot of people had left the area at this point) That was incredibly hard for me because I was just overcome with emotion.
I was still crying. I cried for at least an hour. Adoration ended, and I one of the last people who remained in the gym. My youth group leader came up to me and asked if she could pray over me.
She was praying over me in silence, and then she told me, "Alright, so God wants me to tell me to tell you this… "“You need not feel these feelings of inferiority and disapproval for your self. I have never abandoned or stopped loving you. You are loved more than you can ever know. I am very pleased with you.”
I started crying even harder after that.
It took me an hour after that point to even let it all sink in.
This experience changed me. I am no longer plagued with the social anxiety that I suffered from. I feel more connected to my family, I no longer struggle as much with impurity, and most importantly, I feel the Holy Spirit almost all the time. I can even talk to the Spirit. He gives me so much guidance.
I got to share this story with the entire retreat, all 500 people, but I just wanted to share it with you guys.
If I had to leave on some advice, make sure you are open to the Holy Spirit. Ask him to come upon you. And never ever ignore what he says, learn his voice and follow it.
I recently attended a retreat with my youth group. This retreat was focused around the Holy Spirit manifesting. To provide clarity in regards to time, we arrived at the school hosting the retreat at around 5 PM Friday and got home at 1 PM Sunday.
With that out of the way, onto the story.
I learned a lot about the faith through the numerous speakers, videos, etc. The people coordinating the retreat also provided a lot of opportunities to bond with the people around us.
During adoration Friday night, I was able to forgive everyone I had a grudge against. Someone I never thought I’d be able to rekindle with, became a good friend.
But that was only the begining, but for me, I almost thought that original impression on Friday the end.
Let me explain. Throughout Saturday, I was learning a lot about the faith, but I never felt that emotionally moved. This was kind of a disappointment, considering people broke down crying during adoration, people got healed of physical ailments through prayer. I just felt like I wasn’t going to receive these gifts that others were getting.
We had a session where all 500 attendees would be prayed over by two prayer helpers. People were receiving visions and other miraculous experiences. I of course, felt nothing. What I got, was a friend telling me that he felt like something big was coming. I was like, “ha ha, that’d be great.”
After that prayer session, my youth group performed a skit which led directly into adoration.
**This is where the real juice of the story is. ** If you’re skimming, I’d start paying attention here.
So I join in on adoration. There is a group escorting the Monstrance around everyone. There is a speaker leading everyone in how to pray.
An hour in, and people are really experiencing the Holy Spirit. People are laughing, crying, singing, shaking.
I’m just sitting there like
nothing is happening.Still in prayer, I felt like I needed to pray that the friend right next to me, would pray over me.
About five minutes later, he starts praying over me. Then something in the music (there was a band) made me start crying out to Jesus.
Then boom, I start hyperventilating; each breath made me feel lighter. Then I pass out. When I woke up, I felt a tingling sensation in every nerve in my body. It’s a feeling of pins and needles, but its intense and everywhere. This wasn’t painful, mind you.
And I was just crying. Crying like I’ve never cried. I had friends coming up to me and just holding me in their arms. I had strangers praying over me and giving me tissue.
At one point I was asked to move forward so I could be with the people still in adoration. ( a lot of people had left the area at this point) That was incredibly hard for me because I was just overcome with emotion.
I was still crying. I cried for at least an hour. Adoration ended, and I one of the last people who remained in the gym. My youth group leader came up to me and asked if she could pray over me.
She was praying over me in silence, and then she told me, "Alright, so God wants me to tell me to tell you this… "“You need not feel these feelings of inferiority and disapproval for your self. I have never abandoned or stopped loving you. You are loved more than you can ever know. I am very pleased with you.”
I started crying even harder after that.
It took me an hour after that point to even let it all sink in.
This experience changed me. I am no longer plagued with the social anxiety that I suffered from. I feel more connected to my family, I no longer struggle as much with impurity, and most importantly, I feel the Holy Spirit almost all the time. I can even talk to the Spirit. He gives me so much guidance.
I got to share this story with the entire retreat, all 500 people, but I just wanted to share it with you guys.
If I had to leave on some advice, make sure you are open to the Holy Spirit. Ask him to come upon you. And never ever ignore what he says, learn his voice and follow it.
- Joshua